Wednesday, June 27, 2012

J/111 Cruising & Day-Sailing
(Annapolis, MD)- The J/111 continues to amaze those who've had the privilege to sail one. Whether racing offshore in demanding conditions, dueling around the buoys on classic "sausage" courses, or simply daysailing and cruising with family and friends, J/111 may be one of the most versatile 36 footers ever to come off the J drawing boards. Fast, fun, easily handled by women and children the J/111 can be sailed short-handed by a family crew. Recently, we discovered that an all ladies crew were more than up to the task!

Having fun with a number of their friends on the Chesapeake were Barb Whited and her friends on a weekend regatta. As she described, "we sailed the ladies spring race series. We did win the series, but it was closely fought. Most of the other boats rated over 160, but we left them in the dust after we all practiced for the first 2 races. The first day we had 2 - 4ths (last) while crew learned to work the boat and I got better jibing the boat. After that, we were 1st. We had 5 ladies and took a penalty for a male crew member since we just didn't have quite enough power with just the 5 ladies. My male helper cost me 5 more seconds (34), but we still won with 2 - 1sts, 1- 2nd, and a 4th. Threw out one race. Wind was blowing those 2 days, up to 20 on the second day. We had no problems handling the boat. We had a GREAT time. I was shocked to win since I gave the other boats so much time, but we left them in the dust on 3 out of 5 races." Read more of Barb's story here on the J/Blog. For more J/111 sailing informationJ/70 Sailing Chicago & Florida
(Naples, FL)- Over the past few weeks, the J/70 has been sailing in Chicago and Florida. In the Chicago area, Richie Stearns and the SAIL-22 crew (Ed & Becky Furry) have been sailing up and down the Chicago waterfront and soon all around the Midwest. Recently, Richie, Lori and Ed "shadowed"the 35nm Chicago-Waukegan Race in a light-medium air southeasterly sailing up the lake from the Belmont Harbor starting line off the spectacular Chicago city-front north along the coast to Waukegan, Illinois. The speeds and experiences surprised the trio on the J/70 as well as those who saw them sail with them (much, much bigger boats)-- they pacing with many 35-40 foot racing boats! If you're in the greater Chicago region, please be sure to contact Richie Stearns at 847-404-2209 or rich@stearnsboating.com. Meanwhile, down in Florida, Craig Crossley and crew have been making a circuit around Naples, Fort Myers, St Petersburg/ Tampa/ Clearwater on the West Coast and soon on the East Coast. Be sure to contact Craig directly at 401-330-6135 or craig.crossley@gmail.com for a demo sail in Florida. For more J/70 sailing informationJ/22 Worlds Preview
(Le Crouesty, France)- With twenty-six teams attending from Netherlands, Germany, France and the Cayman Islands and, for the first time, no Americans sailing, the J/22 Worlds were certain to establish new leaders on the world stage. Sailing in the gorgeous, famous waters off Le Crouesty, France and hosted by the extraordinary YC Crouesty-Arzon, the sailors are certain to be in for a treat given the fact the weather cooperates for some of the best French sailing anywhere.

From the Netherlands teams, certain to be a factor in the top results will be Wouter Kollman's HENRI LLOYD team. Sailing well for the French host teams have been JULIE sailed by Jean Queveau, Clair Pouteua's SOFFE and Bernard Andre's MAJIC. The German teams have been sailing faster, consistently and Christian Rieckborn's JOLLY JUMPER and Rheinhold Gross's JAMAICA's KRONJUWEL 22KARAT will be a factor in the competition. A surprise factor may be the sole Cayman Islands team sailed by Mike Farrington on JUST LEAVING, recent champions in their local waters. For more J/22 Worlds sailing informationJ/24 US Nationals Preview
(Dillon, CO)- The "Two-Mile High" J/24 Nationals are taking place this weekend in Dillon, Colorado in one of the most picturesque settings in America's Rocky Mountains, if not the world. Dillon Reservoir has to be one of the world's more challenging places to sail, like any mountain lake at a maximum elevation of 9017 feet (2,748 m) the winds come flowing over the mountains from every direction, often forming their own "micro-bursts" as you're sailing upwind or downwind. Sometimes on the same leg, you're planing downwind under spinnaker while the boats around you are beating upwind with jibs up!! The activity for many can literally leave them breathless at such altitudes-- imagine a J/24 Worlds on Lake Titicaca in Peru at 12,000+ feet!

The J/24 teams sailing Dillon Reservoir are on a naturally formed lake that remained unnoticed until the mid-19th century, when gold was discovered in the area. Upon this discovery, the trade post town of Dillon was formed. The town of Dillon was on the bank of the Blue River and was the most populous area in Summit County. In the mid-20th century, ski resorts were becoming popular, outweighing the mines in the economy of the area; the town lost many residents to them. The lake became a target for expansion by the city of Denver, who deemed it necessary to have a water reserve in the high country. The dam was constructed in 1961, enlarging the small finger lake into the massive reservoir it is today-- great for sailing! The original town of Dillon was left to be flooded over and residents were forced to move.

For those who love sailing, the outdoors, majestic vistas and incredibly fun, but challenging mountain lake sailing, Lake Dillon ranks amongst the best in the world. Answering that call are an amazing range of thirty-six J/24 teams from across America. World, North American, National and Regional Champions in the J/24 class are all making the migration to the Rockies for some fun and frolic in nose-bleed territory. Featured amongst the top teams will be Tim Healey's 11TH HOUR RACING from Newport, RI; Chris Snow's BOGUS from San Diego, CA; Pat Toole's 3 BIG DOGS team from Santa Barbara, CA; and the notorious Brian Simkins from Centerport YC sailing the appropriately named SHOULDA WOULDA COULDA . For more J/24 Nationals sailing informationThe J-Cup 2012 Update
(Hamble, So'ton, England)- The J-Cup 2012 Driven by MIQ Logistics will be hosted at the Royal Southern Yacht Club, Hamble, Southampton from Thursday 26th July to Saturday 28th July. The regatta will also include the inaugural Lombard J/97 UK National Championship. Lombard’s continued support of the J/97 Class reflects their recognition of the fleet’s rapid growth in the UK and of the standard of competition within the class. The regatta will also welcome the return of the J/109 UK National Championship 2012 Supported by Sebago. Both Championships will be raced according to the One-Design Class Rules.

2012 will mark the eleventh J-Cup, an event that has grown in size beyond all reasonable expectation, both in terms of the number of competitors involved and also by reputation. All J Boat owners are invited to compete; the racing is first class and the shore-side socials are legendary. This year a SailRacer results service sponsored by Wight Vodka has been launched which will allow live race blogging and live results directly from the regatta committee. The service was used at the recent J/80 World Championship in Dartmouth and was a roaring success.

Competitors will arrive for registration on Wednesday with three races scheduled for both Thursday and Friday. The final two races will take place on Saturday, followed by an extravagant prize-giving evening at St Mary’s Stadium, Southampton to mark the end of what will no doubt be another extremely successful few days of racing. Competitors will not only be racing to win their classes but there will also be special prizes on offer to recognize exceptional performances on the water. For more J/Cup sailing informationRound Ireland Yacht Race Update
(Wicklow, Ireland)- The Round Ireland Yacht Race is Ireland’s premier offshore sailing race and is held every two years by Wicklow Sailing Club in association with the Royal Ocean Racing Club. The 704 nautical mile race was first held in 1980 and still retains the original course; “leave Ireland and all its islands excluding Rockall to starboard.”

The calibre of the yachts sailing this race is a clear indication of the status in which the Round Ireland Yacht Race is held by the yachting world. And, top Irish and UK teams from the J/Clan are all participating. Long-time successful short-handed sailor Nick Martin will be sailing with his daughter Niki on the J/105 DIABLO-J- sailing Class IRC 3 and Class IRC 8 Double. In IRC 3 Class are a bunch of J/109 trouble-makers, including SGRECH being sailed by Stephen Tudor from Pwlheli Sailing Club; JEDI sailed by Andrew Sarratt from Royal Irish YC; and JOKER 2 skippered by John Maybury also from Royal Irish YC.

A fast offshore boat that might find favor with the Round Island configuration is the J/120 NUNATAK sailed by Mike Jaques from RORC, sailing IRC 2 Class and IRC 8 Double Class. They could be tough contenders for the Double-handed Honors with the Curwen's J/105 DIABLO-J.

Finally, the J/133 SPIRIT OF JACANA sailed by Bruce Douglas from Carrickfergus YC will be a top contender in IRC 1 Class and the J/122 AQUELINA sailed by Jim Tyrerell from Arklow SC in IRC 2 Class will always be strong contenders given the configuration of the race course-- around islands should be one of their strong suits for a top performance. Given the fact that a mixture of sailing conditions will almost always be on offer from the weather Gods as you blast around what may be the world's "longest round island" race, the J/Teams should be in the hunt.

This past Sunday, the fleet took off is a strong 8-14 kt SSW breeze. Weather forecast and routing specialist Mike Broughton of WinningWind.com gives us his weather predictions for the 2012 Round Ireland Yacht Race. Said Mike, "Even a few days out from the start, this year’s Round Ireland looks set to provide a typical tactical challenge of all boats in the fleet. With the start of the race to be dominated by light to medium S to SW winds, no records are predicted to be broken this year.

The start on Sunday is expected to feature an 8 to 14 knot SSW breeze, meaning an upwind leg towards the Tuskar Rock where making the right tidal calls along the coast, and in particular the Arklow Bank, will be critical.

As the fleet rounds the Tuskar Rock, the winds will continue to be on the nose for the majority of the fleet as they make their way to the Fastnet Rock. Close, tactical racing along the headlands will dominate as the boats try to find the shortest route along the coast and get any windbend advantages from the headlands.

Conditions on Monday and Tuesday are showing a continuation of the SW winds as the boats make their way along the West Coast, with the potential for winds to veer to a NW direction. Keeping out of the bays could be important along the West Coast as boats weigh up the advantage of flatter seas against the potential for lighter winds in the sheltered bays.

More variable conditions in medium winds are expected along the North Coast. As always, the tides at Rathlin Island will have a significant say in the outcome of the race. Important tactical calls will have to be made as often lighter head tides offshore might make the longer distance travelled worthwhile.

The East Coast will provide fresh challenges for the crews as the large land mass to the west will significantly impact on the breeze. The development of rain radar reports on land will give crews an indication of the cloud conditions approaching and the chance to pick up stronger breeze with the bands of rain coming from the shore.

Overall, the Round Ireland will be a light air and tricky challenge. While it may favour the faster boats in the fleet at present, anything can happen!"

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

It was a busy week of sailing during the third week of June in both Europe and the Americas. Over in Europe, the Kieler YC hosted their famous Kiel Sailing Week on the Baltic Sea offshore of Germany, there were great turnouts for both the J/24 and the J/80 classes. In the offshore world, the Royal Western YC ran the Two-Star trans-Atlantic Race, resurrecting a double-handed classic race that saw a British team sail their J/109 across the "big pond". The RORC held their Myth of Malham Race in what turned out to be a gear-buster, people-buster and yet again a J/105 mastered the elements to bring home some silver. Over in the Western Hemisphere, two race weeks and two offshore events were held. The J/44 and J/122 that sailed in the Onion Patch series, the "triathlon of offshore sailing", held their own and thwarted the efforts of some grand-prix, high-tech teams. Block Island saw the "off year" Race Week held in gorgeous conditions with a gorgeous Around Block Island Race as part of the series. The J/109s conducted their East Coast Championship at Block Island and the J/111s saw some excellent one-design sailing. Out West off the shores of California, the offshore racers saw the return of the Coastal Cup Race to Santa Barbara, with a J/125, J/35c and J/105 enjoying yet another windy sleighride down the coast from San Francisco. Finally, the Long Beach Race Week again cemented its reputation as the largest and liveliest event on the California sailing circuit, with large one-design fleets of J/105s, J/120s and J/80s sailing and the J/125 and J/109s thrashing their respective PHRF handicap fleets.

Read on! The J/Community and Cruising section below continue to enjoy the Caribbean and the South Pacific, staying warm while others are trying to stay warm up north. Check them out! More importantly, if you have more J/Regatta News, please email it orupload onto our J/Boats Facebook page! Below are the summaries.

For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.J/105 VOADOR Wins Myth Of Malham Race
(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- The 2012 RORC Season's Points Championship has been a tough series of races and the 230-mile Myth of Malham (Round Eddystone) Race was probably the harshest so far. With a forecast of 30 knots of wind and big seas, many yachts took the decision not to race. However fifteen yachts decided to start the race. Twelve retired, mostly with sail damage, however, the entire fleet made it back to harbour. Whilst crew no doubt suffered bumps and bruises, there were no reports of injuries requiring medical attention and the coastguard received no requests for assistance

Although a much larger boat took line honours, the Myth of Malham Race was won by J/105 VOADOR. What makes the victory so admirable is that Voador was raced Two-Handed by a father and daughter team of Simon and Nikki Curwen. Simon Curwen is a veteran of short-handed racing, in 2001 he came second in the Mini Transat, beating notable competition including Sam Davies and Brian Thompson. However, his daughter Nikki is just 23 and after graduating from University works in Bournemouth in the media industry. For more RORC Myth of Malham Race sailing informationJ/105 Wins Class In Coastal Cup Race
(Santa Barbara, CA)- This year the Coastal Cup returned to the beautiful city of Santa Barbara. Though little more than an hour north of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara is an oasis of peace and quiet on the warm, sandy California coast. The Spanish architecture and rugged mountains sloping down to the sea combine to give the city a distinctively Mediterranean flavor, and make it a tourist favorite.

Racing down the coast from San Francisco to Santa Barbara is fun and challenging, featuring a wide range of conditions - from the unpredictable upwind beat out past Land's End, the white knuckle spinnaker reaching off the treacherous Pt. Conception and Pt. Sur, to ghosting in the light morning breezes through the Channel Islands to finish off Santa Barbara. There is truly something to satisfy every sailing appetite.

This year, the J/125 TIMESHAVER sailed by Viggo Torbensen managed to grab third overall with Ed Sanford's J/105 CREATIVE won their class and the J/35c PEGASUS sailed by Marc Sykes finished second in class. Watch J/125 TIMESHAVER sailing video on Coastal Cup Race For more Coastal Cup Race sailing informationPerfect Long Beach Race WeekJ/109s Sweep PHRF 5
(Long Beach, CA)- Hosted by Alamitos Bay YC, the stars were out under a clear blue sky for the 134-boat Ullman Sails Long Beach Race Week through the weekend. Big or small, one-design or speed-rated handicaps, around the buoys or offshore ... whatever their pleasure, the best of the West were tested by the competition, the elements and parties onshore for three straight days of fabulous weather and gentle breezes in the Bay. The annual event is the West Coast's largest keelboat regatta, co-hosted and organized by the Alamitos Bay and Long Beach Yacht Clubs.

In the J/105 and J/120 classes, respectively, Gary Mozer's Current OBSESSION 2 from Beverly Hills and John Laun's CAPER from San Diego were hoping to defend titles they fought to win on tie-breakers last year! And, John Demourkas of Santa Barbara, who won the Farr 40 East Coast championship with his GROOVERDERCI earlier this month, was hoping to repeat that performance by sailing his renamed J/105 (from Rockin'n'Groovin to GROOVERDERCI). Also hoping to repeat was the J/80 AVET sailed by Curt Johnson of California YC.

The schedule for three races Saturday and the last two Sunday had great sailing with 11-16 kt southwest breezes and fairly flat seas under a clear blue sky. Despite the gorgeous, benign weather, the competition was hot and fierce in the J/105 and J/120 classes. For the J/105s, Gary Mozer's CURRENT OBSESSION 2 did manage to overcome some remarkably tough competition in the fourteen boat J/105 fleet, most practicing and gearing up for the upcoming J/105 North Americans in San Diego this fall. Gary's team posted a 2-2-2-1-1-3-1 tally for 13 pts to win by eight points. The battle for second place was an epic one between Rick Goebel's SANITY and John Demourkas' GROOVERDERCI, when the smoke cleared it was SANITY that won the tie-breaker at 21 pts each over GROOVERDERCI.

The eight boat J/120 class also saw a repeat winner, with John Laun's CAPER winning with a 1-2-1-1-1 for just 6 pts, winning by a huge ten point margin of victory. Second was John Snook's JIM with 16 pts. Third was determined on a tie-breaker between Peter Zarcades MELTEMI and Mike Hatch's J-ALMIGHTY, with MELTEMI winning the tie-breaker to snag third overall.

Rounding out the one-design classes, Curt Johnson sailed his J/80 AVET to another repeat regatta win with a scoreline of 3-1-3-1-1-1-1 for 11 pts, six points clear of the second place boat BLUE JAY sailed by Bob Hayward. Third was Steve Wyman on NUHUNU.

In the PHRF handicap classes, winning PHRF Boat of the Week was Steven Crooke's J/109 SUGAR from Long Beach YC, posting a stellar scoreline of 1-3-1-1-1-4-1 for 12 pts to lead a class sweep for the J/109s in PHRF 5 Class. Second in that class was a past winner Tom Brott on ELECTRA and third was Chris Mewes on SHADOWFAX. Of note, Dr John Messenger's J/33 NITRO was fourth and Larry Leveille's J/29 RUSH STREET from Santa Barbara YC was 6th.

Mark Surber's J/125 DERIVATIVE from Coronado YC blew away their PHRF 2 class with straight firsts! In PHRF 4 the J/35 RIVAL sailed by Dick Velthoen & David Boatner from Ventura YC posted a 1-2-1-2-2-1-2 for 8 pts but lost the tie-breaker, finishing second. Yet another J/35, Steve McClure's MAC'S finished 5th.
Sailing Photo credits- Rich Roberts For more Long Beach Race Week sailing informationGreat J/24 & J/80 Kieler Woche Regatta
(Kiel, Germany)- This past week saw one of the largest regattas in Germany finish with a flourish with some great sailing for both the J/24 fleet participating and a growing J/80 class.

In the fifteen boat J/80 class, there were Polish and German crews sailing a good series. Dominating the class was Germany's Martin Menzner from Kieler YC, winning with a remarkable six 1sts and four 2nds to simply crush the class, eight points clear of second place finisher Malte Christopherson, also of Germany. Third overall was Thomas Dehler, fourth was Fyn Terveer winning a tie-breaker over fifth place finisher Karsten Thode.

There was a fantastic turnout for the J/24s, with 33 teams attending from Sweden, The Netherlands and Germany. The J/24s also saw a top team dominate the proceedings, with Kal Mares winning with 29 pts, followed by Frank Schonfedlt in second with 43 pts. Rounding out the podium was past champion Manfred Konig with 50 pts. Top Swedish team was Per-Hakan Persson in 7th overall. For more Kiel Week Regatta sailing informationGorgeous Sailing Block Island Race WeekJ/111s & J/29s Sweep Classes
(Block Island, RI)- During the "off year" Block Island Race Week (every even year), the fleet may be smaller since so many boats in the Northeast sail the Newport-Bermuda Race, but the racing and the camaraderie is no less fun. In fact, the sailing is quit a bit more challenging and intimate since the boats that do participate are often well-sailed and have top teams aboard. This year the fleet was greeted with spectacular weather, with shifty northerlies on the first day changing to classic S-SW winds for the balance of the week. Most all fleets managed to sail nine races and "kudos" must be given to the Duck Island YC PRO, Susie Miller and her RC team for getting in some excellent racing. The classic Around Block Island Race was won overall by the J/111 WICKED 2.0 sailed by Doug Curtiss and team from Buzzards Bay.

The J/109s were sailing their East Coast Championship and this year past champion Bill Sweetser and crew aboard RUSH managed to dash off eight 1sts and two 2nds for 10 pts to dominate their class and be crowned East Coast Champion. Second was another past champion, Ted Herlihy sailing GUT FEELING to a record of two 1sts and seven 2nds and two 3rds for 16 pts. Third was Hugh McLean on SHEARWATER.

In the hot, hot PHRF 1 Class, the J/111s swept the class taking the podium overall. Leading the charge was Doug Curtiss's WICKED 2.0 with a 4-3-1-3-1-1-1-2-1 scoreline for 13 pts. Second was Rod Johnstone's newly launched JAZZ sailing with a family team and scoring 2-6-2-4-3-2-2-1-2 for 18 pts. Third was Paul Strauch's ANDIAMO sailing to a 3-2-4-2-6.5-4-3-6 for 27 pts. Fourth 111 was Segwick Ward's BRAVO putting in a much stronger performance than last year, finishing just two points out of fifth overall!

In PHRF 2 Division, some of the strong J/29 rivalries continued with the MGHTY PUFFIN from Narragansett Bay taking on the "bad boys" from Long Island, the notoriously fun-loving "Espo" crew on HUSTLER. In the end, John & Tony Esposito on HUSTLER again proved they're a force to be reckoned with, winning yet another Block Island Race Week with seven 1sts and three 2nds for only 9 pts. Second was Steve Thurston's team on the yacht MIGHTY PUFFIN, sailing their J/29 to an easy second place on the podium with two 1sts, five 2nds and three 3rds for 15 pts! The J/105 SHE'S THE BOSS sailed by John Sutherland took fourth in class. For more Block Island Race Week sailing informationJ/109 2nd in Two-Star
(Plymouth, England)- With little fanfare, the Royal Western YC has resurrected the Two-Handed Transatlantic Race due primarily to the fact that in Europe, and particularly the United Kingdom, there has been a significant increase in double-handed racing participation.

This year, the long, famous history of J Teams participating in trans-Atlantic races continued. Following in the winning traditions of J/35s, J/105s and J/122s before the, Richard Palmer & Trevor Drew from England sailed their J/109 JANGADA TOO to an incredibly well-earned 2nd in IRC Class! Congratulations to Trevor and Richard.

Trevor provided some perspectives on the race as they "tweeted" from the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, "It’s just gone midnight local time and we’re flying along the south coast of Nantucket island, famed for its whaling history and for the “sleighride”, when a harpooned whale towed the small whaling boat and its crew for miles, before finally succumbing to its fate. Happily, the current residents and the right whales live more amicably today. (also the name of a 70s album – was it Captain Beefheart? Put me out of my misery, someone!)

We’re having our own sleighride, bombing along at over 7 knots in a brisk sou’westerley breeze about 80° off the port bow, spurring us towards the finish line about 50 miles away, in time for breakfast. Jangy seems to sense the finish too – she’s got a real spring in her step, nodding to her task and nudging the wavelets aside with steady purpose, refusing to be slowed in her course. Yippee!!!"

In the middle of a thunderstorm and just before the heavens opened, Richard Palmer and Trevor Drew, sailed JANGADA TOO across the line at Castle Hill Light on 25th June 2012 at 0948 EST (1348 GMT) to complete the Two Handed Transatlantic Race (Twostar) 2012. JANGADA TOO was the first British boat home in a time of 22 days 2 hours and 48 minutes.

Under blue spinnaker with forked lightening flashing all around, JANGADA TOO was escorted across the line by a RIB provided by a member of the Newport Yacht Club, Tom Bandoni, with Norm Bailey (NYC & RWYC) and James Bremridge (Race Director) on board.

Despite a downpour, the Newport Yacht Club fired a cannon to salute the achievement of Richard and Trevor! For more Two-Star trans-Atlantic Race sailing informationJ/Team Wins Onion Patch TrophyJ/122 Chris Dragon & J/44 Gold Digger Key Members
(Hamilton, Bermuda)- The NYYC Red Team of Andrew Weiss' J/122 CHRISTOPHER DRAGON, Jim Bishop's J/44 GOLD DIGGER and Rives Potts' McCurdy & Rhodes 48 'Carina', won the team competition for the Onion Patch Series (three events) by putting in a flawless performance in the Royal Bermuda YC Anniversary Regatta-- they won the overall Onion Patch Trophy.

The Onion Patch is a tough triathlon of sailboat racing that combines closed course and ocean courses in three world-class venues. Boats from all IRC classes in the Newport Bermuda Race were eligible to enter and must also have raced the New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta and the RBYC Anniversary Regatta, too. For more Onion Patch Bermuda sailing informationJ/Community

What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide

* J/122 ARTIE Report from Rolex Giraglia Race- "Hi J/Family- I'm writing this email to report on our Rolex Giraglia Cup Regatta we have just done on ARTIE ex J Lance a J 122. I think we sailed well and are happy with the boats performance. If you look at the results you will notice that we did not fair well on the leader board mainly because the organizers bunched up three groups made out of three Classes together due to the number of yachts taking part…..and in my opinion was not a fair deal as we were racing against GP 42s's and IRC 50/60 footers…..so in that sense we did not do as we had hoped. On the other hand and on the water we were the first forty footer to finish the two 'Long' offshore races…San Remo to St Tropez and the Giraglia.

The first long race was from San Remo (Italy) to St Tropez (France) around 45 miles. The start was at Midnight (my first time!) in 2 to 3 TWS and very lumpy seas. Once the gun went and with over 150 yachts in one mass start we positioned ourselves as clear of the main pack as was possible and had a brilliant start. In an hour we were leading the whole fleet in a very light beat taking every wind shift we could and kept leading the fleet till around 0500hrs in the morning when six fifty and sixty footers caught up with us and over took. We were the 7th boat to cross the finish line and scored a 6th overall. We didn’t win the race due to the fact that the wind died for us as we approached the finish line. The boat flies in these light conditions and is actually as fast as most 45 foot race boats at this point of sail.

Although we have raced this J 122 for two seasons including placing a 2nd and 1st in the last two Rolex Middle Sea Races, we never sailed her in winds above 35 knots for long periods. This year we had lots of wind and learnt a lot how to sail her in these conditions.

The long Giraglia race (241 miles) started in 35 knots true with a beat up to a rock (twenty miles) with a max wind speed of 41.4 knots at one point. We had one Reef in the Main and the no4 Headsail and faired very well reaching the mark with 45/50 foot yachts. Once we rounded the rock we hoisted the A5 in 35/40 TWS. This was the first time we ever had these conditions and with four meter waves we quickly started surfing…..reaching a top speed of 19.8 knots at one point…..our average was between 13 and 16 knots SOG…. eating up the miles very fast. We did this for around four hours when the wind started to gust over forty……and were over canvased ….ending up in a momentous broach which we couldn't recover from…so pulled the chute down and hoisted our new JT…..we also shook out the Reef in the Main and shot off…..in more control and topped out at 21.6 knots on a wave….not bad for a forty footer with a whole interior of furnishings to cart around! We witnessed two yachts loose their mast and a total of eight yachts lost masts on this downwind leg. As we approached the Giraglia rock next morning the wind died to around 5 knots TWS and ended up doing the last 80 miles gybing downwind all the way to the finish, were we overtook a number of larger boats…..Final result 32nd overall in a fleet of 180 yachts. All the boats that beat us were much larger and more racy!

I am pleased with how the boat performed in strong winds and now know that the J 122 is not only a light weather wizard but rather a great all round performer. Best, Christian"

* America's Cup World Series Newport competition gets underway Thursday. This will be the fifth and final event of the five part series. Having won the match racing in both Naples and Venice, ARTEMIS leads this element of the series and is third in the overall standings. Following on from five full days of training, past J/24 World Champion skipper Terry Hutchinson (USA) and the crew onboard ARTEMIS are looking forward to four days of racing against the seven other teams competing in the event.

"We feel fast on the open course, but we need to start well. That is key. All the things that you can control, you have to control," said Terry. "Competition, Mother Nature and the current are going to be the biggest variables in performance here. The boats are so fast, that you are punished if you don’t do things properly. It’s great to have the America’s Cup back in the US and briefly in Newport. It is the premier spot to come and be supported by the people. Newport is the Cup’s home away from home and so far it hasn’t disappointed. We’ve had a lot of people out here spectating. There’s a good vibe." For more America's Cup World Series sailing information

* The Volvo Ocean Race is in its final week of sailing. Hard to believe, but true. At this time, just about any of the top four teams can win given the right combinations of racing. But, the French team led by Franck Cammas on GROUPAMA will have an unassailable position so long as they average third in the next three races and could become the first French team in decades to win this epic around-the-world offshore race, this one being the longest-ever version with nearly 40,000 nm of sailing under their boats! Challenging GROUPAMA will be Newport's Ken Read racing PUMA Mar Mostro, hoping his collective experience of winning multiple J/24 World Championships will come into play in the last three "windsprints" left on the schedule. Besides the two in-port "day races", the last offshore leg is just short of 500nm, a "day race" for these ocean-racing greyhounds! It will be tough sailing, in fact more like a monster version of an intercollegiate dinghy race than an offshore keelboat race from a tactical point of view-- everyone will be in view the entire four days of racing!! Good luck to Ken Read and crew on PUMA! And, not to be left out will be J/80 champion sailor from Spain, Iker Martinez and team on TELEFONICA. TELEFONICA had led for 80% of the race until they broke their two primary rudders in a "chinese gybe" maneuver just before finishing the last leg into Lorient, France. Limping into port on one rudder, the TELEFONICA team are hoping, like Ken's PUMA team, to win a few races and gun for the top of the podium, too! Should be an intense, epic drama un-folding on the high seas off Europe! For more Volvo Race sailing informationThe J Cruising Community J Cruisers continue their adventures around the world, below are a selection of most excellent "blogs" written by their prolific publishers. Some terribly amusing anecdotes and pearls of wisdom are contained in their blogs. Read some! You'll love it.

* The J/42 JARANA continues their epic voyage around the Pacific. Continue to read about Bill and Kathy Cuffel's big adventure cruising the South Pacific headed for New Zealand. Their blog is here: http://www.svjarana.blogspot.com/

* Prolific writers, Bill and Judy Stellin, sailed their J/42 JAYWALKER around the Mediterranean and Europe and back across the Atlantic for nearly three years. Their blogs/journals can be found at- http://blog.mailasail.com/jaywalker. The earlier journals have been compiled into two self published books which can be found at: http://www.blurb.com. Search for "SEATREK: A Passion for Sailing" by Bill Stellin or William Stellin." UPDATE- Just a short note to update from Bill- "Our cruise began in May of 2000 and ended in May of 2008, some 8 years later. I have just finished and published my third and final book covering the last three or so years including our double handed crossing in 16 days and one winter in the Caribbean. Like the others, "Sea Trek- A Passion for sailing- Book III," can be found at www.blurb.com. Thanks, Bill and Judy"

* John and Mary Driver are sailing their J/130 SHAZAM for extended cruising in the Atlantic basin. At this time, John and Mary finished their double-handed crossing of the Atlantic, landing in Portugal on their J/130 Shazam after completion of their ARC Rally. Read the latest news at http://www.sailblogs.com/member/shazam/.

* Several J/160 owners are island hopping across the world's oceans, fulfilling life long dreams to cruise the Pacific islands, the Caribbean islands, the Indian Ocean and all points in between. Anyone for Cape Horn and penguins?? Read more about their adventures and escapades (like our J/109 GAIA, J/42s PAX and JAYWALKER and J/130 SHAZAM friends above).

- SALACIA, the J/160 owned by Stephen and Cyndy Everett has an on-going blog describing some of their more amusing experiences (http://www.salacia1.blogspot.com).

- Bill and Susan Grun on the J/160 AVANTE are also sailing in the Pacific archipelago, read more about their great adventures on their blog (http://web.me.com/susangrun). Read about their latest adventures as they've gotten to New Zealand- "Avante Cruises the Pacific".

- Eric and Jenn on the J/160 MANDALAY also sailed the Pacific archipelago, read more on their blog at http://www.sailmandalay.com. Eric and Jenn are J/World alumni took MANDALAY up and down the West Coast (Mexico, CA), then to the South Pacific and New Zealand. MANDALAY is back in San Francisco now, and in the J/World fleet--she is available for skippered charters, private instruction, and corporate/executive groups.

* The J/109 GAIA (seen right in the Java Sea) was sailed by Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay around the world. In February 2011, their cruising adventures came to an abrupt, sad ending. As a tribute to them and their cruising friends worldwide, we hope their chronicles on their GAIA website remains a tribute to their warm-hearted spirits- read more about why many loved them dearly and will remain touched by their loving spirit forever-http://www.gaiaworldtour.net/Featured Boat

J/122 GAMBLER For Sale

GAMBLER is a 2008 J/122 that is ready to continue winning races, or go cruising! If you are looking for a 40' dual purpose sailboat, GAMBLER can do it all! There are very few J/122's with the winning pedigree that GAMBLER has and even fewer with the 3 cabin layout. GAMBLER has been optimized for racing with top notch bottom and foil preparation, she's a past J/122 North American Champion. The sail inventory is all North and includes NEW 3Di sails!

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

J/70 Sailing Texas
(Fort Worth, TX)- Over the past few weeks, the J/70 has been sailing in some pretty cool places. Down in Texas, the Fort Worth Boat Club has been hosting J/70 demo sails. Said Scott Spurlin, "The FWBC had been receiving calls all week with interested parties. People drove/flew in from Tulsa, Oklahoma and Oklahoma City. For the first 3 or 4 hours we had two to three boat loads waiting for their turn on the dock while the boat was out. Terry Spurlin, Bob, and a sailor from Tulsa that came in Friday, Glenn Darden, and myself were all busy! Quite amazing the buzz this boat has generated! But well deserved!

Some interesting observations from our recent demos-- many of the prospects are new to the J/Family and own boats such as: Soling (1), Colgate 26 (2), Catalina 22 (2), Catalina (25). There are a few J/owners that are buying and one of the hot prospects currently owns a J/27. The good news is that the J/70 seems to be growing the J/family." For more J/70 sailing informationJ/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

This past week saw yet another epic regatta for the J/80 World Championship sailing in the southeastern part of of England down off the gorgeous moors of Dartmouth. With lots of breeze over the course of the event, a bit too much on the last day kept the fleet in-port. Further southeast, the famous Rolex Giraglia Cup was held over the course of a week and the fleet was treated to one of the fastest "round Giraglia island" races ever. A bit south, the South African offshore sailors enjoyed a classic "pursuit" style race along the lines of the famous Nantucket FIGAWI Race. Finally, the Bermuda Race turned out to be one of the fastest on record with a number of J/Teams doing incredibly well.

Read on! The J/Community and Cruising section below continue to enjoy the Caribbean and the South Pacific, staying warm while others are trying to stay warm up north. Check them out! More importantly, if you have more J/Regatta News, please email it orupload onto our J/Boats Facebook page! Below are the summaries.

For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.Spain Sweeps J/80 Worlds
(Dartmouth, England)- At a constant wind speed of 33 knots coupled with swells in excess of 4 metres (12 feet plus) across the race area had necessitated the decision to abandon racing for the day and for the regata. An excited round of applause rang around the Race HQ as the assembled fleet congratulated the new J/80 World Champions: Jose Maria van der Ploeg and his crew on board NILFISK: Luis Mas, Juan Merayo, Hugo Ramon and twelve year old Jose ‘Junior’ van der Ploeg. A sweet and well-deserving victory for this family crew!

The nine races sailed at The MIQ Logistics 2012 J/80 World Championship Powered by SLAM each delivered a different winner: a fact that is testament to the level of competition on the race-track within the International J/80 Class. Van der Ploeg’s team on NILFISK never conceded a single result outside of the top 14 boats during the course of the regatta but nor did he finish a race within the top two. Skilled consistency in crew work, boat handling, tactics and intelligent regatta strategy delivered a World Championship win for NILFISK with a four point lead over the second placed boat, Rayco Tabares’ Hotel Princesa Yaiza and six points over third place Carlos Martinez’ Mapfre.

All 76 J/80s were de-rigged and lifted back on to their road trailers on Friday afternoon along Dartmouth ’s North Embankment so that 350 competitors could rush home to spruce themselves up in advance of the Closing Ceremony and Prize-giving Dinner scheduled for Friday evening. The venue for the closing ceremony (by virtue of the fact that the Britannia Yacht Club shared the hosting of the World Championship with the Royal Dart Yacht Club) was Britannia Royal Naval College .

Competitors enjoyed dinner, wine and a fair few tots of SLAM-buca on Friday night in the stunning surroundings of The Senior Gun Room and The Ward Room at the college before moving on to the official Prizegiving Ceremony which was held on The Quarterdeck. Prizes were presented to the top ten boats at the MIQ Logistics 2012 World Championship Powered by SLAM. Several British J/80 teams featured in the role-call: Kevin Sproul’s J.A.T finished in fourth, Robert Larke’s J2X took sixth place, Simon Ling’s RAF benevolent Fund Team Spitfire finished ninth overall and Simon Johnson and Ruairidh Scott’s Joyeuse finished tenth overall. The largest piece of silverware presented on the night war Rennie and Ruth Miller’s J/80 One-Design Cup which went to Sproul and his team from J.A.T who were the best performing British team at the Worlds. Special prizes from Allspars of Plymouth were awarded the best performing furthest travelled boat, which went to Andrew Moore’s Tigrina from Hong Kong and to stalwart supporter of the J/80 UK Class, Scott Cole and his team on Purple Haze.

At the Prizegiving Commodore Simon Williams of Britannia Royal Naval College explained how much the college had enjoyed being involved with the World Championship and without need to recourse to spoken word his presence at the Ceremony meant that all competitors were duly reminded what an honour and privilege it was to take part in such an auspicious event in such dramatic and historic surroundings.

Paul Heys of Key Yachting thanked Britannia Royal Naval College , Mike Moody and his team at the Royal Dart Yacht Club, the PRO Mike Pearson, the massive team of volunteer helpers and all of the sponsors of the event: Principal Sponsors MIQ Logistics and SLAM. Supporting Sponsors Baltic Wharf, Brittany Ferries, Coast Graphics and Dart Harbour and Prize Sponsors Allspars, Café Alf Resco, Chandlery.co.uk, Lifedge by Scanstrut, Paul Barclay, Rowbury Gallery and the Royal Castle Hotel. Dancing and celebrations continued in to the small hours of Saturday morning. Sailing photo credits- Tim Wright- http://www.photoaction.com For more J/80 Worlds sailing informationDRAGON & BEAGLE Crush Bermuda RaceTwo Dozen J's Thrashed to "The Patch" For Silver!
(Newport, RI)- The grand-daddy of all American offshore races, the Bermuda Race, sent 167 racing and cruising sailboats hurtling across 635nm of capricious Atlantic Oceans towards the gorgeous pink sand beaches of Bermuda in record-breaking time. For the J/44s the racing was tighter than ever.

A rhumbline race will produce a tight race in any class but no one could have predicted five J/44s exiting the Gulf Stream virtually within sight. Though the race didn’t end up exactly that way, even the crews who were nipped by minutes at the end were still ecstatic.

“We were within a few tenths of a mile from each other,” said Phil Gutin, who drove his 44 BEAGLE to first place. “These boats were really designed to race this race and all the teams were great this year.” Gutin decided to stay just west of the rhumbline to capture the most of the positive current of the Stream. In 2010 where he finished fourth, they had the same plan but watched, gutted, as the fleet sailed by to the east.

This year, the bet paid off for Gutin and his crew and they avoided some of the holes the rest of the fleet had to negotiate. “We thought the Low was moving and headed east after we exited the Stream,” said Jamie Ewing, the navigator aboard STAMPEDE who added that they were within 200 yards of RUNAWAY at one point. “That really motivated us. The last night the guys were trimming the kite so much I couldn’t even sleep in the quarter berth.”

The J/44 fleet, a one-design though they are racing under IRC, is known for close racing. With their long cockpit benches, and comfortable wood-veneered interior, it seems as though they would be hard boats to push, but Gutin said this doesn’t stop the teams from pushing hard. “We have relentless trimmers,” he said. “And our navigator only gave us bits of information so it would not have a psychological effect on us.”

With Jim Bishop’s GOLD DIGGER and Lenny Sitar’s VAMP always nipping at his heels, BEAGLE finally legged out to a 14-mile win. The rest of the fleet finished within hours and sometimes minutes of each other Monday afternoon. “In 2010 we had a respectable fourth,” said Gutin. “This was really respectable.”

The race was remarkably straight-forward. For the most part, most of the fleet joined the long parade aiming for the narrow gap in the Gulf Stream between an eddy and the rhumb line. What caught everyone's collective eye was a line of squalls making up near Bermuda. That was the race’s game-changer. After that it was really all about the low. When the wind backed through north into the northwest that afternoon, Happy Valley became an extremely tactical playing field. Then the crucial elements were good steering and clever choices of jibing angles. Boats that didn’t spot the new weather missed out, but boats that did gained large distances in the second leg. Good steering was crucial in the shifting winds. Steer to maintain speed was the mantra. In all 635 miles, many boats only jibed twice and some tacked twice to the finish.

Amongst the IRC St Davids Lighthouse Division, the J/Teams faired well. In Class 2 IRC, the J/40 MISTY sailed by Fred Allardyce finished 2nd. In Class 3 IRC the J/42 FINESSE skippered by Newton Merril was 4th place overall. One of the most competitive divisions was Class 4 IRC, which saw the J/122 CHRISTOPHER DRAGON sailed by Andrew Weiss finish 1st. Fifth was the J/120 ROCKET SCIENCE sailed by Rich Oricchio and sixth was the J/120 SHINNECOCK sailed by Jim Praley.

In the J/44 class, it was an incredibly tough race as was described above. In the end, it was Phil Gutin's BEAGLE that finished 1st, followed by Len Sitar's VAMP in second and Jim Bishop's GOLD DIGGER in third.

For Class 6 it was going to be a tough race for the J/133 sailors. In the end, it was MATADOR sailed by Mike McIvor that finished 2nd in division. Fifth was the J/133 JACKKNIFE skippered by Andrew Hall and seventh was the J/13 BACCHANAL skippered by Jan Smeets.

In Class 9, the fourth place finisher was the J/130 DRAGONFLY sailed by Colin McGranahan.

From an overall perspective, the differences amongst various sailboats are quite striking. While an S&S 48 called CARINA finished the race in an elapsed time of 75 hrs:56 min, the J/122 CHRISTOPHER DRAGON finished 2 hours faster in 73:53. The fastest J/44 BEAGLE was home in 71 hrs:55 min and the next J/44 home to Bermuda was VAMP in 73:58. So, it appears that the J/122 and J/44s (all 15-25 year old designs) continue to be competitive.

As has been the case for the past few dozen Bermuda Races, the double-handed divisions have been dominated by passionate, devoted J/Sailors who KNOW their boats can be one of the best performers across a wide-range of wind conditions. This year was not without exception. In ORR Doublehanded Division 14, it was again the masters of offshore short-handed racing, the J/35 PALADIN sailed by Jason Richter finishing first. Fourth was the J/40 EAGLE sailed by Dana Oviatt. In the ORR Doublehanded 15 Division, the J Teams nearly swept, with the J/120 MIRIELLE skippered by Hewitt Gaynor finishing first followed by yet another J/120 ALIBI sailed by Gardner Grant in third. Fourth was the J/46 SEA BISCUIT sailed by Nathan Owen, a great performance for all J/Teams sailing in the Double-handed divisions.

Finally, in the ORR Cruising 13 Division, the J/160 TRUE sailed by Howie Hodgson's team had a fantastic time in the reaching conditions to finished second in their division. For more Bermuda Race tracking and sailing informationRolex Giraglia Cup
(St Tropez, France)- After four days of exceptional weather conditions sailing the inshore racing portion of the event, the teams completed the challenging 242-nautical mile race from St Tropez, France to Sanremo, Italy via the Giraglia Lighthouse sitting on a rocky outcrop off the northern tip of Corsica. The forecasted blow came through for 20-35 knots and course records were broken for the big boats like the thousand-footer, canting-keeler, water-ballasted cigar-shaped boat called ESIMIT EUROPA.

In the "real people" division, the various J's sailed well in the tough conditions and managed to hang into the overall standings. In the end, for IRC A, Giancarlo Ghislanzoni on his J/122 CHESTRESS 3 finished 6th overall in the five race series. The J/122 ARTIE from Malta, owned by Lee Satariano and co-skippered by Christian Ripard were able to finish 9th overall despite not sailing the fourth race. And Olivier Parchet's J/122 NOISY OYSTER finished 11th. As a result, the J's were the best performing brand in the top fifteen for the series.

This historic edition – running 242nm from Saint-Tropez, France to Sanremo, Italy – was eagerly anticipated and provided a poignant opportunity to reflect on the race’s evolution through the ages. “The event is the oldest in the Mediterranean and its spirit comes from having a mixed fleet: from small, family-run boats to professional crews who have taken part in events like the America’s Cup,” reflected Carlo Croce, President of event organizers the Yacht Club Italiano and son of Beppe Croce, one of the race’s co-founders. “This is the essence of the Giraglia Rolex Cup and it is important that it has not been lost.” The event has grown enormously. That first edition in 1953 welcomed 22 boats while in 2012, 170 yachts from eighteen different countries crossed the start line.

The choice of race course for the 2012 event was particularly significant: Sanremo was the arrival point for the first ever race when it commenced from Cannes, and the sailing paradise of Saint-Tropez provided the departure point for several of the early editions.

Saint-Tropez has been the permanent home for the start of the race since 1998 when Rolex commenced its involvement with the competition. At the time, ‘La Giraglia’ was a struggling giant and these two factors have aided its re-emergence as the most respected offshore race in the Mediterranean.

Thirty knots of breeze welcomed the race start and around 40 knots were present when some teams rounded the race’s key strategic point – the Giraglia rock, located 1-nm north of Corsica. On reaching the rock at sunset, the crew on ESIMIT EUROPE made a crucial tactical maneuver: “We didn’t jibe around the Giraglia rock as it was so windy, so we tacked around just to make sure we didn’t break anything.” Prudence was rewarded and despite tamer conditions as Esimit Europa 2 approached Sanremo, the race record was demolished. The winning time was 14 hours, 56 minutes and 16 seconds - just over three hours ahead of the yardstick set by Alfa Romeo 2 - and only the sixth time in the last fifty years that the record has been broken.

As the late Beppe Croce, one of the event’s founders, once reflected following the race’s inception: “The aim was to find something new and challenging, a rise in quality at an age when offshore racing was still characterized by family-organised competitions. There was a desire to give life to a real race, following the formula of famous international events like the (Rolex) Fastnet.” Sixty years later, that ambition has been realized - the Giraglia Rolex Cup is a benchmark in its own right. For more Rolex Giraglia Race sailing informationJ/133 Smokes Capetown Race
(Capetown, South Africa)- Every year, the Royal Capetown YC hosts the highly popular Dia de Portugal- Explore the Bay Pursuit Race. Like their American and European counterparts, the slow boats on handicap ratings start first and the bigger faster boats start last, first to the finish line wins!

This year, sixty boats entered and the J/Fleet overall had some great performances. Tops amongst the J/Teams was the J/133 DHL SPEED OF YELLOW sailed by Patrick Holloway, walking off with the MERCANTILE BANK TROPHY for winning Division I and the ORLANDO DE ALMEIDA FLOATING TROPHY for winning the entire pursuit race overall!

Other teams that sailed well were the J/105 PANTS ON FIRE finishing 6th, the J/120 NALEDI finishing 8th, the J/27 HILL BILLY in 24th and the J/27 PURE MAGIC in 28th. For more Dia de Portugal sailing informationJ/Community

What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide

* J/24 teams and school having fun at Coronado YC- said one committed J/24 team, "I give a bit of my involvement in community outreach program for a local yacht club. And just yesterday some of Juniors I teach sailing to went aboard one of your nice J24’s taking a class from a national champion in this class, you might remember Jon Rogers. He mentioned to us that he worked for you in Newport, RI at a J World school and asked me to say hi for him. Jon is a great guy and outstanding sailing instructor. He gave the juniors the ins and out of this magnificent racing vessel.

Our club organized a get together with the Coronado Yacht Club where Jon teaches and he kindly offered a day class to 3 of my top students. Luckily I went as well and confirmed what lots of people say about boats “They are fast”. We all enjoyed the class and hopefully in the near future we could have the opportunity to have one of this fast racing vessels in our fleet too."

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

J/70s Sailing Across America!Long Island Sound, "The Gorge", Sarasota & Texas
(Newport, RI)- Recently, J/70s have been delivered to their happy customers in some great sailing areas around America. Dozens of new J/70 sailors are hopping aboard and fleets continue to sprout like kudzu weeds in even the remotest parts of the Midwest. Sailors young and old alike, girls and boys, Mom's and Dad's are discovering the joy of having a fun, easy-to-handle boat that can be towed by the family car, ramp-launched just about anywhere, and can handle just about any weather condition Mother Nature can throw at them.

Just ask the J/70 crews on the infamous "Gorge", that remarkable body of water with a natural "wind tunnel" on the Columbia River east of Portland, Oregon that is the favorite of the world's best kite-boarders and board-sailors. A current sweeping you upwind at 1.5 knots plus a sunny afternoon westerly breeze of 20-25 knots is a "normal" day. The J/70 sailors are lovin'it! SAIL NORTHWEST's customer Scott Sutherland is having a ball flying around the Gorge.

Meanwhile, CROSSCURRENT MARINE proudly took possession of J/70 #10. Craig Crossley had this to report, "The 1,400 mile trip from Bristol, RI to Sarasota was a snap with the brand new Triad trailer doing a stellar job of transporting our new J in style and safety. Transporting in keel-up mode provides a very low distribution of weight and the trailer support points were perfectly laid out to cradle the boat properly.

The arrival at Sarasota Sailing Squadron this Friday created quite a buzz with numerous sea-trials going on. The consistent feedback is she's a great sailing platform -- easy, stable, quick and responsive. With the annual BIKINI CUP Regatta being held today, Squadron Board Officer Michelle Lee grabbed a few of her friends and got the J/70 out sailing with the gals for a great day of racing on Sarasota Bay!"

What are you waiting for? Get on down to your local J/Dealer and hop aboard a J/70 for one of the most enjoyable sailing experiences you've ever had. A gentle five kts breeze and flat water or nuking at 25 kts and blowing dogs off chains, it will be hard to wipe that "cheshire cat grin" off your face. We promise. For more J/70 sailing informationBermuda Race PreviewTwo Dozen J's Thrashing to "The Patch" For Glory
(Newport, RI)- The grand-daddy of all American offshore races, the Bermuda Race, is about to start on June 15th, Friday at 1300 hrs off Newport's Castle Hill, sending over 167 racing and cruising sailboats hurtling across 635nm of capricious Atlantic Oceans towards the gorgeous pink sand beaches beckoning all sailors like the famous "Song of the Sirens" in the Odyssey.

The very first Bermuda Race was an act of rebellion. In 1906, the "Establishment" in America believed that it would be "insane" for amateur sailors to race offshore in boats under eighty feet. Thomas Fleming Day, the feisty editor of The Rudder magazine, vehemently disagreed, insisting, “The danger of the sea for generations has been preached by the ignorant.” Certain that an ocean race would be enjoyable and safe – and also develop better sailors and better boats – Day founded one on his own. The Brooklyn Yacht Club started the race in New York Bay, and offshore on that island paradise, the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club finished it off St. David’s Head. Today, it's co-hosted by the Cruising Club of America (with New York YC's Harbour Court in Newport providing support) and Royal Bermuda YC.

The goal is to sail fast on a VMC course of 162 degrees magnetic for 635nm. Few Bermuda Race veterans can ever describe the experience as a "walk in the park"-- in fact, it's reputation is quite the contrary. Starting off Castle Hill, Newport, Rhode Island, the first 15 miles of the race finds the fleet typically beating towards Bermuda in a southerly thermal breeze. However, this year the forecast shows a North-Northeasterly with 10-20 knots for up to 48 hours-- perhaps making for a faster, nastier race than normal (see Gulf Stream description). After the start, the race is divided into three general parts, each with its own problems and strategies:

I. Between Newport and the Gulf Stream- Sailing in cold water and often in fog, the navigator must select a route to the optimal position on the northern edge of the Gulf Stream, avoiding the bad side of warm eddies north of the stream, or taking advantage of the favorable side of the clockwise rotating warm eddies. Current in the eddies may reach 3 knots and the warm eddies can be 60 to 100 miles in diameter. Satellite photos and their interpretation are available so these days the navigator has a pretty good idea of the location of the stream and its major eddies.

II. Crossing the Stream- Depending on the configuration of the Gulf Stream (there is no typical configuration) the navigator must choose to cross the generally east flowing current up the 4 knots in the most efficient manner. Due to the extreme temperature difference between the stream and the slope water to the north, it is not unusual to have thunder squall activity in the stream. The racers often find light winds punctuated by powerful, fast moving cells of wind, lightning and waterspouts. The stream itself is often quite lumpy as the current and the wind interact-- e.g. this scenario is quite likely this year-- the experience of ENE 10-20 kt winds against a powerful 4 kt easterly flowing current is not a wonderful combination in the Gulf Stream, unless you like 10-15 foot breaking seas with an occasional freak-wave at the height of your first spreaders! There’s a good reason why the Bermuda Race’s nickname is “The Thrash to the Onion Patch.” Rough weather and Gulf Stream stories are hardly strangers for those riding the rail to Bermuda. In fact, they're synonymous with one another.

III. Happy Valley! After bashing and crashing across the Gulf Stream in epic sailing conditions, the last 300 or so miles from the bottom of the stream to Bermuda are generally most pleasant-- that's why many call it "the happy valley". The racers are in warm water, the winds are warmer and generally southwesterly if the Bermuda High is established, fetching the island is often possible. Bets are made on when the island will be sighted and there is anticipation of the sweet-smelling aroma of oleander flowers as one of the first "tell-tale" signs the island is near.

The Bermuda Race consists of five divisions - The St. David's Lighthouse (amateur) Division, The Cruiser (amateur) Division, the Double Handed Division, the Gibbs Hill (professional) Division and the Open (professional) division.

Among boat builders, J/Boats has 28 entries, the largest brand participating for the 10th year running. By contrast, Nautor-Swan are represented with 24 boats, Beneteau have 7, Hinckley with 6, and C&C/ CAL with 4 apiece. In other words, 17.0% of the Bermuda Race fleet are comprised of passionate offshore J sailors. Many of them are amongst some of the most experienced and successful offshore sailors.

In the largest and most competitive fleet, the St David Lighthouse Division has amongst its race veterans the famous GOLD DIGGER, Jim Bishop's J/44 (New York, NY) who will be back for its twelfth race in what looks to be like another tour'de'force for the seven boat J/44 class. Included amongst them are Phil Gutin's BEAGLE, Len Sitar's VAMP, Jason Leblanc's GLORY, Dr Norm Schulman's CHARLIE V, Jimmie Sundstrom's STAMPEDE and Lawrence Glenn's RUNAWAY.

In addition to the strong turnout of J/44s, there are a number of other very competitive boats in the St David's Lighthouse Division, including a fleet of twelve well-sailed 40-43 footers from the J/Design team. The big bananas are the troika of J/133s sailing- BACCHANAL (Jan Smeets), JACK KNIFE (Andrew Hall) and MATADOR (Dale McIvor). Next up is past division winner, Andrew Weiss's veteran campaigners aboard the J/122 CHRISTOPHER DRAGON, 2nd place finishers in the recent New York YC Annual Regatta. The trio of J/120s include ROCKET SCIENCE (Rick Oricchio), SHINNECOCK (Jim Praley) and WINDBORN (Richard Born). The quintet of J/40-42s include the J/40 MISTY (Fred Allardyce) and the J/42s- ARROWHEAD (Steve Berlack), SHAZAAM (Roger Gatewood), FINESSE (Newton Merrill) and GLIDE (Tanner Rose). Rounding out the division is past Bermuda Race competitor Darren Garnier sailing his J/35 GREAT SCOT.

In Cruising Division will be Howie Hodgson's J/160 TRUE and in the Gibbs Hill "pro" division will be the J/130 DRAGONFLY sailed by Colin McGranahan and crew.

Finally, the Double-Handed Division is only getting stronger every Bermuda Race. This year we'll see repeat Bermuda Race winners participating, like Jason Richter's incredibly well-sailed J/35 PALADIN. Like last time, Jason will have his hands full with two J/120s, Hewitt Gaynors' MIRIELLE and Gardner Grant's ALIBI- both tough contenders. Plus, toss in Scott Miller's J/122 RESOLUTE and Nathan Owen's J/46 SEABISCUIT and you have a nearly "one-design" race amongst these five highly competitive boats. Not to be outdone will be the J/40 EAGLE sailed by Dana Oviatt, eager to give fellow competitors a run for the money! For more Bermuda Race tracking and sailing informationBMW J/29 North Americans Update
(Lunenberg, Nova Scotia)- The organizers of the 2012 BMW J/29 North Americans are pleased to announce that our entry is up to 17 boats with a very important addition to the fleet. Chris MacDonald and Mike O’Connor, the brain trust behind four-time Atlantic champion SCOTCH MIST IV, have officially announced their intention to compete.

We always hoped and expected that SMIV would be in. She is after all based at Lunenburg Yacht Club and has sailed every Lunenburg Regatta and Chester Race Week event in memory. Chris was, in fact, the "Papa Doc Duvalier" of our class, ruling as “President for Life” through the first decade of the century.

SCOTCH MIST IV won championships consecutively in 2005, 2006, and 2007, as well as an isolated win in 2001. They haven’t really lost a thing since their run of dominance. They’ve got a big crew and are especially tough when it blows hard, as it does at times in Lunenburg.

We are thrilled to have SMIV in the fold and to be back to the brink of having the largest J/29 fleet of all time. Just one more will put us in a tie and two will secure the record. With so many good 29s sailing PHRF events in the US and Central Canada, there have to be two more that would like to test themselves in a major one design event. Call us!! For more J/29 North Americans sailing informationJ/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

The second week of June has traditionally been a big week for major offshore events in both Europe and America. On biennial years, the renowned Newport Bermuda Race takes place. Preceding it are the Rolex New York YC Annual Regatta and the Onion Patch Series. Also taking place during this period is the well-attended Chicago NOOD Regatta hosted by Chicago YC for various one-design and ORR classes, including J/105s, J/109s and J/111s. Across the big pond in Europe, the famous Rolex Giraglia Race series that starts in St Tropez, France for an inshore series, then concludes with the famous "around the rock race" (Giraglia Lighthouse just north of Corsica) is running its course with a fleet of J/122s and J/109s vying for honors in their respective classes. A bit further north in Scandinavia, the Foerder Race was sailed around the famously capricious fjords and islands off Oslo, Norway with the new J/111 BLUR cutting its teeth in the competitive offshore arena in the vast stretches of the Baltic and the North Sea.

Read on! The J/Community and Cruising section below continue to enjoy the Caribbean and the South Pacific, staying warm while others are trying to stay warm up north. Check them out! More importantly, if you have more J/Regatta News, please email it orupload onto our J/Boats Facebook page! Below are the summaries.

For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.J/111 IMPULSE Wins NOOD
(Chicago, IL)- The final day of the Chicago Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regatta greeted sailors with gorgeous weather and consistent 5-10 knot wind, setting the stage for a full day of racing on Lake Michigan. The sailors could not have been luckier. For the third straight day, the crews had been enjoying unseasonably fabulous sailing weather. If you recall, last year's event was punctuated by a epic front spitting massive thunderbolts, squalls, hail, horizontal rain and pouring "cats & dogs"!

Enjoying the wonderful sailing was none other than the J/111 IMPULSE sailed by Dr. George Miz, Pete Dreher and Mark Hatfield. With a 1-5-6-1-3-1-2-4 record for 23 points, they won their first major J/111 regatta on a tie-breaker over Steve Dabrowski's NIGHTHAWK, with a record of 4-4-3-3-2-3-1-3 also for 23 pts. With a half-dozen entries, the J/111 class had very competitive fleet racing one another, as evidenced by very close scores. With two races to go in the eight race series, it was anyone's guess as to what the podium would look like when the spray cleared on the race course. Past NODO Regatta winner, KASHMIR sailed by Karl Brummel, Steve Henderson and Mike Mayer, finished only 1 pt out of first place! KASHMIR's 5-3-4-2-1-5-3-1 for 24 pts was good enough for the bronze. Fourth place just 1 pt back was Paul Stahlberg's MENTAL with a 2-2-1-4-5-2-4-5 for 25 pts; a strong start but slow close on the last day meant they finished just out of the money. Win-Place or Show in the last race sealed the deal for the top three!

For the J/105s, this year again saw one team simply dominate the regatta, with some new faces on the top of the heap. Blane Shea and crew on STRIKING started off strong and never let up on their classmates. STRIKING knocked out a striking scorecard of four 1sts, two 2nds and two 5ths to win with 18 pts, four pts clear of Tom and Gyt Petkus' VYTIS-- a past regatta winner. Third was Clark Pellett's team on SEALARK scoring two 1sts, four 4ths, a 3rd and 6th to finish with 27 pts to grab third place. Like their J/111 brothers, the 105s also saw the last spot on the podium come down to the final race. In this case John Weglarz's crew must've had the inmates already running THE ASYLUM as their last three races of a 4-3-7 sunk their chances for a bronze, finishing just 2 pts back from 3rd overall.

In the J/109s, the top three also had a tough three-way battle for the top three. Again, the last two races made all the difference as some teams stepped up to the plate and "closed the deal" while others faded a bit and tumbled down the standings. In the end, Dave Gustman's team on NORTHSTAR won the battles and the war, scoring a 3-2-1-2-2-2-6-3 for 21 pts to win class. Second was Don Meyer's CERTAINLY with a 1-7-5-3-1-3-4-2 scoreline for 26 pts and 2nd place. Just missing second by one point was Kevin Saedi's MOMENTUS, finishing third while collecting three 1sts along with a 2-3-6-6-7 for 27 pts.

In ORR3, Mitch Padnos' new J/122 SUFFICIENT REASON sailed a very strong regatta to finish 2nd overall with a 2-5-2-3-2-1-3-1 tally for 19 pts. Mitch's new J/122 replaces his J/124 which he raced for years in the Chicago-Mackinac Race. The new SUFFICIENT REASON was previously SKYE, which has won the Chicago-Mackinac in Class and Overall three times, once as a fully-crewed boat and twice as the overall Double-handed Class winner. For more Sperry Topsider Chicago NOOD Regatta sailing informationWINGS Flies In Rolex NYYC Regatta
(Newport, RI)- After a rousing 19-mile Around the Island Race on Friday, sailors at the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) 158th Annual Regatta presented by Rolex had to face light winds on Saturday and Sunday and a subsequently abbreviated race schedule where every move counted as critical to final results. With 104 boats entered in Friday’s race (separately scored and optional) and 133 entered in weekend racing, this 2012 edition of what is revered as America’s oldest regatta will go down in sailing history as having its biggest fleet ever-- and, for some, the most intriguing last-minute victories.

In the IRC 5 Class, the expected competition between the J/111 and J/122s was tough. Henry Brauer's J/111 FLEETWING was up against a quartet of exceptionally well-sailed J/122s and managed to finish in the middle of them, finishing 7th in fleet overall with a 6-7. However, past J/122 North American champion Mike Bruno and Tom Boyle (Irvington, N.Y.) finished 2-1 in the regatta’s two races to take IRC 6 on his J/122 WINGS. Second in class was Andrew Weiss' J/122 CHRISTOPHER DRAGON sailing to a 1-5.

Amongst the J/44s there were familiar top class teams in the lead of IRC 5 Class. Leonard Sitar’s (Holmdel, NJ) J/44 VAMP took class honors with a 2-1 in his series. Second J/44 and 5th in class was Jim Bishop's GOLD DIGGER with a 4-5.

IRC 7 Class has often been the domain of the J/109s taking the rest of their class to task for the top of the podium. This year was no different, with the J/109s taking four of the top five! Winning with a 1-1 was past J/109 NA Champions like Bill Sweetser on RUSH with local champions Rob Salk and John Sahagian on PICANTE finishing 3rd with a 4-3, Rick Lyall's STORM in 4th and Paul Milo on VENTO SOLARE finishing 5th.

In PHRF Navigators Division, the J/105s sailed well with Fred Darlington's TONTO taking 2nd and Nelson Wiederman's KIMA taking 5th. In the big boat Navigators Division, the J/160 TRUE sailed by Howie Hodgson finished 3rd in class. For more Rolex New York YC Annual Regatta sailing informationJ/111 Sails Fast FOERDER Race
(Oslo, Norway)- What happens when you get 900 boats and a challenging course out through the Oslo Fjord? Then, mix in a shifty, streaky, puffy breeze meandering down the fjords? A pretty slow race with TWS mostly around 2-6 knots! But, for the J/111 BLUE sailed by Peter Gustafsson and crew from Sweden, it simply meant a great opportunity knocking on the door to demonstrate to fellow Scandinavian offshore sailors what it's like to race the fun, fast J/111 speedster in demanding conditions. As Peter described, "In 900+ boats, we were 15th fastest boat in some great company! Being 13 minutes slower than a GP42 and beating a Brenta 42, X-50, Dehler 41 and First 40 on the water after 20 hours isn't bad! :D

Friday offered brilliant sunshine and 2-3 m/s from SW. We had plenty of time and had a good track on everything. 1.5 hours before departure, we went out so that everyone got acquainted with our new Code 0. We had had it up on Thursday on the way up, but it was important that everyone had a look at how it set as we'd be using it a lot this race!

Easy start where we were too early to windward. After being sailing 10-12 perfect starts in Marstrand last weekend, it was like all the skills were gone! After a while (seemed like an eternity) we were able to sail our race and get down to the islands to the left. Several had had good pressure there, and I think it worked for us too. Teknova and 4-5 other fast boats chose this route for the same reason.

Easy check down past Dyna Lighthouse where we continued on the left. Stretch to Nesoddtangen Buoy where we got into a good groove with a little wind in the middle of the track.

We had a good track and were able to deploy our Code 0 just after the rounding. We passed a First 40.7 with double the speed, it was quite hilarious. Here, we also passed a number of boats, including the King 40 "Magic" and a Class 40, both boats were not shifting gears at the same rate as us. Plenty of wind came in. Then it was back to the jib ... and now we were in the game again. Just JV41R, Teknova and Karukera ahead of us, but lots of good boats just behind.

After a while, we were able to again use the Code 0 and step on the gas past the JV41R Karukera before the bottom at Slemmestad. Here we were caught up and passed another JV41R and a Landmark 43! But what good was it when Teknova worked hard with puffs on the right wing to the south. Incredibly difficult sailing some time before it filled in from the east.

This year we had an OK push through all the difficult straits. Frederick and Pelle on-board our boat were working hard. We started to the left to avoid the reverse current, then went down the Hallangstangen and towards Dröbak. Good fight with an X-41 that we finally hit but most of all we got in lots of distance on Teknova. I do not think we have passed the Straits in the best way ever, and the only thing that was better was a Landmark 43 and an X-50 that snuck inside the Oscar Borg and the Castle, but it felt like a high-risk maneuver.

Easy to check the south where we and Teknova continued fight on the right side. We had a little better speed, but especially picked some great shifts and we were gone. Incredibly nice. And good to have a good boat to run against.

After Filtvet, the wind increased and turned on the South so we switched to medium / heavy-jib. We wanted the left, but a little sloppy with shifts in the exchange so Teknova ran up again, but we kept them on pace. It eased back to 2-3 m/s, so switching back to ease the jib. Now, we significantly improved and was able to snatch back some distance. Then we picked a couple of good shifts and we were gone. Outside Gullholmen was X-50 and a few other boats parked in the doldrums, so we were a bit worried for a restart. But finally the wind filled in from the East to make it sailable again.

As the wind would eventually turn to the south, the choice was to go high and go slow but in the middle or to throttle-up and hope for a big shift in the wind towards the Foerder shore. Counter-current was the deciding factor, so we set the Code 0 again and flew down the inner part of Bolærerna. At more than 5 knots boat speed, all crew on the rail in only a light 2 m/s wind is quite fun! It was exciting as we passed lantern after lantern during the night's darkest hours. It was hard to know what it was that we were passing so fast, so we all looked forward with great anticipation for morning light to find out what happened!

Just before Bolærerna the wind shifted. Hoisted the medium / heavy jib and furled the Code 0. Now we were definitely ahead of those that run on the outside of Bolærerna, but we were still nervous that we were the only boat on the right (except for two small boats). At Småkryssande we finally met boats coming from the left. GP42 Al Capone, Brenta 42, JV41R and X-50 Jokerman. Wow! All had been well ahead at Gullholmen!!

The wind increased gradually and it was a tough final leg out to Tristein. Around Tristein up with A2. Fantastic sailing homewards with 10-12 knots and spinnaker fly fast. But not enough wind for the J/111 to go really fast. We had a fun time sailing her. J/111 is truly an amazing boat to race offshore!" For more J/111 BLUR sailing informationJ's Sailing Tough Onion Patch Series
(Newport, RI)- Known as the "triathlon of ocean racing", The Onion Patch Series is a diverse three-event series of international races that challenge the complete range of a yacht's capabilities and a racing crew's skills. Yachts compete in the Onion Patch for both individual and three-boat team prizes.

The Onion Patch starts out with the high-level competition of the New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta, with a focus on fast-paced, round the buoys racing. The Series then moves on to the historic ocean racing of the Newport Bermuda Race, complete with the challenges of the Gulf Stream and the joys of "Happy Valley" in the approach to Bermuda. As a fitting reward, the Onion Patch concludes with Royal Bermuda Yacht Club's Anniversary Regatta's delightful and exuberant racing on the Great Sound and surrounding bays and harbors.

Among the three-boat teams racing for the Onion Patch Trophy the NYYC Red is in second place with 37 points led by Andrew Weiss's J/122 CHRISTOPHER DRAGON, the famous M&R 48 CARINA skippered by NYYC Rear Commodore Rives Potts, and Jim Bishop's J/44 GOLD DIGGER. This trio of boats all have class wins and even overall wins in the Bermuda Race St David's Lighthouse Division; we expect to hear good things from this team after the smoke clears on the fields of battle on the onion patches in Bermuda!

Lenny Sitar's J/44 VAMP had a brilliant weekend in the New York Yacht Club 158th Annual Regatta presented by Rolex but is still 13th in the Onion Patch Series. "I just did what I was told by my tactician," Sitar said. " I had a great crew and they pointed the way to go and I just had to do my job driving the boat. We caught up with the Class 4 boats who started ahead of us, so we know we were doing well." Sitar and crew came first in class and first in the Blue Circle fleet. VAMP sailed in IRC Class 5 and on Sunday they sailed in the Blue Circle on the Rhode Island Sound. The White Circle went up Narragansett Bay looking for wind there while the bigger boats went outside.

Rives Potts, skipper CARINA, tied with Sitar for the regatta and both had a first and a second for three points. The official results list VAMP in first and CARINA in second.

On the White Course, CHRISTOPHER DRAGON, Andrew Weiss's J/122 is sixth in the Onion Patch Series. She was the top Onion Patch boat for the Annual Regatta on that circle. Matt Brooks' Classic S&S yawl DORADE was the second in the annual Regatta, but stands ninth in the series. For more Bermuda Onion Patch Series sailing informationJ/80 Worlds UpdateSpanish Teams Leading, English & French Fill Top Ten
(Dartmouth, England)- It was a tough first day of racing for the 76 boats sailing the J/80 Worlds in Dartmouth, England. The day started ashore with a postponement. Then breeze built in from the south light air and rainy. Just one race for the fleet doing a double windward-leeward. As a result, many of the top contenders were all over the map, some finishing mid-fleet. The podium was Frenchman Patrick Bot 1st, Englishman Robert Larke 2nd and Spaniard Javier Aguado 3rd. French were 5 of top 15, showing their hard-work this spring has been paying off. English were 8 of top 15 and Spanish were 2 of top 15, the latter was a surprise to many sailing.

Racing commenced in Dartmouth on Tuesday. The World Championship is being co-hosted by the Britannia Yacht Club and the Royal Dart Yacht Club. Principal Race Officer Mike Pearson held the crews of the seventy six competing teams ashore for a postponement of just over two hours in order to wait for the breeze to fill in and settle. Light airs meant that only one race of the three scheduled for today was raced but the fleet returned to the Regatta Centre happy to have completed the first race of the eleven scheduled for the World Championship series.

Out in the race area in Start Bay the breeze eventually filled in to a very tricky four to six knots from 180 to 190 degrees and a windward-leeward course was set. Keen to get going, competitors pushed the line on the first start resulting in a general recall and the PRO immediately deployed the black flag and at the next start all boats got away cleanly. Crews from nine nations are racing in Dartmouth and today it was Frenchman Patrick Bot sailing Ecole Navale CG29 who took the win in Race 1.

Patrick explained ‘I had a good start, not perfect, but I arrived at the first windward mark in eighth place having sailed the left hand side of the beat. We then just worked our way through the fleet. The gate at the bottom on the leeward leg was important: I took the left hand mark and it paid. The boats around us on the race course are all evenly matched in terms of boat-speed.’

Rob Larke of Great Britain took second place in Race 1. He said ‘We also chose the left hand side of the beat but it was hard to call. Our boat speed and we’re happy with our second place today.’

All in all it was a good day on the water for British teams with five GBR sail numbers in the top ten at the end of day one. Four races are scheduled for Wednesday 13th June and all the competitors are hoping for a little more breeze to add to the excitement.

On the second day of sailing, clearly the sun was shining brightly on the Spanish Teams. Dartmouth was blessed with blue skies, sunshine and just a little more breeze on Wednesday for the second day of racing. Four races were sailed in 6 to 9 knots of breeze oscillating through the day between 095 and 135 degrees. As the crews came ashore after racing it was clear that the fleet were delighted to have enjoyed really tight racing and top flight competition albeit the day’s sport had been both physically and mentally challenging. The overnight leader of the regatta is Jose Maria Van der Ploeg from Spain and his crew on board NILFISK, a result of this crew’s consistency across the regatta series so far, never scoring a result outside of the top 10 boats in the fleet of 76.

The first race of the day (Race Two of the series) was won by Laurent Sambron of France racing EJP 10 with the young crew of Henry Bomby on Team Baltic who are all from Dartmouth in second place. Simon Ling and Ian Southworth took third in RAF Benevolent Fund Team Spitfire. Eric Brezellec from France won Race Three in Interface Concept 1 and his friend Maxime Rousseaux won Race Four in his J/80 called CN St Cast Grand-Ouest Etiquette. The final race of the day (Race Five) belonged to Javier Aguado’s team on board CROCS, a win that puts him second in the overnight rankings.

The two top boats in the fleet going into Day Three on Thursday are both Spanish teams. Speaking to Jose Maria Van der Ploeg, skipper of NILFISK after racing he said ‘We are very satisfied to be leading but it was hard on the water today. We are not used to sailing with this much current and we found it very difficult. We have tried not to take too many risks but we were very close to being over the start-line in Race Four and that would have meant a Black Flag disqualification for us’. Van der Ploeg’s son Junior is just twelve years old and is a crucial part of this talented race-crew. He explained that today the crew work and boat handling was good on board NILFISK but that the J/80s racing in Dartmouth are all very evenly matched in terms of speed across the water.

Javier Aguado helmsman and skipper of CROCS are in second place overall and he said ‘The racing was close and exciting although the light airs and strong current are not what we are used to and it has made judging the start-line very difficult. We were over cautious in Race Two and found ourselves late when the start signal sounded but we were tactically strong for the next three races and I am pleased to be in second place overall.’

The top placed British boat is Kevin Sproul’s J.A.T. and this crew currently sits in third place on the leader-board. Sproul is a formidable sailor and is well known in racing circles for his dry humor. ‘I was feeling close to suicidal when I came ashore’ he joked. ‘It was so hard out there with 76 boats on the race-track and I really felt that I could have sailed better. I suspect that I may have been just a little hard on my crew today but when we came off the water and I saw our points score and our position in the rankings I have to say I felt a lot better. My crew definitely deserve a beer or two on me tonight.’

The next two days of racing promise more wind, more weather and, most certainly, much tougher racing as the top teams from Spain, UK, France and Germany fight it out for the podium and top ten. Sailing photo credits- Tim Wright- http://www.photoaction.com For more J/80 Worlds sailing informationRolex Giraglia Cup Update
(St Tropez, France)- When St Tropez rolls out the red carpet, with gardens in full bloom, surrounding hills of the Baie de St Tropez lush with fragrant flowers, fabulous cafes serving up an orgy of delicious seaside cuisine, crystal-clear skies dotted with puffy white, cottony clouds and warm Mediterranean breezes sweeping down the picturesque coastline, it's awfully hard to beat. And so far the sailors have been treated to nothing but the best St Tropez has to offer.

Spoiled after four days of exceptional weather conditions sailing the inshore racing portion of the event, the teams are now headed out into the challenging 242-nautical mile race from St Tropez, France to Sanremo, Italy via the Giraglia Lighthouse sitting on a rocky outcrop off the northern tip of Corsica. Of course, can't be too bad if you're simply going out to sea, turning left and going from the French Riviera's hot-spot to the Italian Riviera's ho-spot, right? Think again. The forecast is for 20-30 kts and by Thursday blowing up to 40 knots in a classic Mistral-like condition. “It will be very demanding with a lot of wind throughout today,” explained Francesco de Angelis, former J/24 World Champion in Capri, Italy and tactician onboard the 62-foot NATALI–B2. “For tomorrow we are forecasting a certain drop in conditions and some changes of direction bringing lighter winds. It will be a difficult race for everyone although, as always, you can never predict what is going to happen.”

Few boats will be as experienced and up to the challenge as the J/122 ARTIE from Malta, owned by Lee Satariano and co-skippered by Christian Ripard. In their previous competitive offshore outing the combination were the first Maltese in ten years to win the hugely demanding 606-nm Rolex Middle Sea Race. Keeping them honest will be Giancarlo Ghislanzoni on his J/122 CHESTRESS 3. Also, in the hunt will be Olivier Parchet's J/122 NOISY OYSTER and Edward Gatt Floridia's J/122 OTRA VEZ. With four J/122s racing, one of them is certain to revel in the conditions.

After the first four races in IRC A with 73 boats participating, the top J/122 is Giancarlo's CHESTRESS 3 sitting in 6th place, just 20 points out of third going into a double-counter race. Just behind in 10th is Olivier's NOISY OYSTER and 11th is Lee's ARTIE RTFX.

In IRC B, with 55 boats participating, the top J is Antonio Marcri's J/39 SCINTILLA J sitting in 9th place. The J/109 JAVA BLEUE 3 sailed by La Forest Bardaille sits in 12th place and another J/109 JET LAG sailed by Richard Burton (not the movie actor!) is lying in 20th place. With the forecast for a solid breeze and waves, look for the J/109s in particular to make a quick climb up the ladder and be further up the standings after the Giraglia Race. For more Rolex Giraglia Race sailing informationJ/Community

What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide

* The J/39 CLUB-RACER- this is the real story of a "phoenix rising from the ashes" in Antwerp, Belgium. It starts like this. Kathleen asks: "Honey, if I had enough money, I'd like to buy a new 40-foot J-Boat, OK?" Eddy answers: "Hmmm. I ​​once saw sailing during Ramsgate Week in England a J/39 that sailed and performed so well that I immediately had great respect for this design." That same evening, Kathleen and Eddy ("Ice") searched on the Internet for various boats-for-sale. Ice was immediately charmed by a J/39 in Trinidad for a very attractive price in USD. But, in France there was a J/39 for sale with a factory-installed wheel-steering option that was preferred. Said Ice, "We found this J/39 in a French shipyard near La Trinite Sur Mer. She was left behind in the shipyard for more then 6 years!! My wife Kathleen and me bought this beautiful racer/cruiser and started to refit her last summer. It seems that the new CLUB-RACER is gonna hit the water for summer 2012!" Sure enough, CLUB-RACER is launched, looks gorgeous and according to Ice, "will be used for doublehanded regatta's, as a press boat (for www.clubracer.be) and last but not least for our holidays."

* More J/125 DOUBLE TROUBLE action during this year's Spinnaker Cup. If you recall, Andy Costello's DOUBLE TROUBLE has pulled off three consecutive Spinnaker cup Overall Victories 2010-2011-2012. The 2012 Race had over 30 knots of breeze for the upwind portion and the downwind portion consisted of high teens to mid-twenties for windspeed. Here's a video update of their experience blowing down the coast of California at excessively fun speeds in complete control with huge grins plastered all over their faces! See their Blog at http://www.sailblogs.com/member/doubletroubleracing/ Plus, here are their two most recent videos.

* J/105 part of the NASA Space Shuttle Enterprise Experience? You bet. Seen here is the Space Shuttle Enterprise as it's lifted onto the deck of the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum on the retired USS Intrepid Aircraft carrier in New York, June 6, 2012. Pretty cool stuff. Good to see fellow J/Sailors looking after "space sailors" that circled the globe at 25,000 kts for years, all in the support of better science and, for sailors at least, better weather forecasting!

* J/40 Cruiser Turbo'd? Seems that Dave Moore on his J/40 #11 called LIBERTY in Los Angeles, California was looking for solutions to get his J/40 going faster after recalling how the first J/40 won the Chicago-Mackinac Race in a "three-peat" in the early 1990s. Rodney and Alan J went to work to help Dave turbo LIBERTY's downwind potential. Said David, "The 20 pct penalty pole with matching symmetrical spin has proven to be very effective, just as you suggested. We won our race from LA Light to Dana Point on Memorial Day weekend. A 20 mile broad reach in 15 to 20kt TWS westerly followed by 14 miles of close reaching in an erratic 3 to 6 kt TWS southwesterly. In the stronger wind conditions we watched most of our fleet round up repeatedly. None of that on the J40 - just comfortable speed and smiles." Gotta love those stories. Keep them coming!

* J/120 action in Detroit is "hotting up" all the time in the summer. Competition and fun that is, not temperature or tempers. And the Grand Poobah and King of all things J/120 One-Design Racing in the Great Lakes, Commodore Frank Kern, forwarded to us some more video evidence that the J/120s continue to have a good time with their boats in greater Day-twah, that resurgent urban waterfront town more renowned for bending metal, snapping on plastic, throwing in some leather, tossing on some good "shoes & rubber" and making lots of cars. Enjoy the video!https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=294142850682578&set=a.161021807328017.35243.160993177330880&type=1&theater&notif_t=like

The J Cruising Community J Cruisers continue their adventures around the world, below are a selection of most excellent "blogs" written by their prolific publishers. Some terribly amusing anecdotes and pearls of wisdom are contained in their blogs. Read some! You'll love it.

* The J/42 JARANA continues their epic voyage around the Pacific. Continue to read about Bill and Kathy Cuffel's big adventure cruising the South Pacific headed for New Zealand. Their blog is here: http://www.svjarana.blogspot.com/

* Prolific writers, Bill and Judy Stellin, sailed their J/42 JAYWALKER around the Mediterranean and Europe and back across the Atlantic for nearly three years. Their blogs/journals can be found at- http://blog.mailasail.com/jaywalker. The earlier journals have been compiled into two self published books which can be found at: http://www.blurb.com. Search for "SEATREK: A Passion for Sailing" by Bill Stellin or William Stellin." UPDATE- Just a short note to update from Bill- "Our cruise began in May of 2000 and ended in May of 2008, some 8 years later. I have just finished and published my third and final book covering the last three or so years including our double handed crossing in 16 days and one winter in the Caribbean. Like the others, "Sea Trek- A Passion for sailing- Book III," can be found at www.blurb.com. Thanks, Bill and Judy"

* John and Mary Driver are sailing their J/130 SHAZAM for extended cruising in the Atlantic basin. At this time, John and Mary finished their double-handed crossing of the Atlantic, landing in Portugal on their J/130 Shazam after completion of their ARC Rally. Read the latest news at http://www.sailblogs.com/member/shazam/.

* Several J/160 owners are island hopping across the world's oceans, fulfilling life long dreams to cruise the Pacific islands, the Caribbean islands, the Indian Ocean and all points in between. Anyone for Cape Horn and penguins?? Read more about their adventures and escapades (like our J/109 GAIA, J/42s PAX and JAYWALKER and J/130 SHAZAM friends above).

- SALACIA, the J/160 owned by Stephen and Cyndy Everett has an on-going blog describing some of their more amusing experiences (http://www.salacia1.blogspot.com).

- Bill and Susan Grun on the J/160 AVANTE are also sailing in the Pacific archipelago, read more about their great adventures on their blog (http://web.me.com/susangrun). Read about their latest adventures as they've gotten to New Zealand- "Avante Cruises the Pacific".

- Eric and Jenn on the J/160 MANDALAY also sailed the Pacific archipelago, read more on their blog at http://www.sailmandalay.com. Eric and Jenn are J/World alumni took MANDALAY up and down the West Coast (Mexico, CA), then to the South Pacific and New Zealand. MANDALAY is back in San Francisco now, and in the J/World fleet--she is available for skippered charters, private instruction, and corporate/executive groups.

* The J/109 GAIA (seen right in the Java Sea) was sailed by Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay around the world. In February 2011, their cruising adventures came to an abrupt, sad ending. As a tribute to them and their cruising friends worldwide, we hope their chronicles on their GAIA website remains a tribute to their warm-hearted spirits- read more about why many loved them dearly and will remain touched by their loving spirit forever-http://www.gaiaworldtour.net/Featured Boat

J/122 GAMBLER For Sale

GAMBLER is a 2008 J/122 that is ready to continue winning races, or go cruising! If you are looking for a 40' dual purpose sailboat, GAMBLER can do it all! There are very few J/122's with the winning pedigree that GAMBLER has and even fewer with the 3 cabin layout. GAMBLER has been optimized for racing with top notch bottom and foil preparation, she's a past J/122 North American Champion. The sail inventory is all North and includes NEW 3Di sails!